Promotion
by ilovemuffincakes
Summary: Aubrey makes a confession that Chloe never expected.


"Chloe, can I tell you something?"

Chloe looks up from her Kindle – she's reading Fifty Shades of Grey but _shh_, don't tell – and replies with an eye roll, "Of course, Bree. You can tell me anything; you know that."

Aubrey wrings her hands in front of her and chuckles nervously. "Yeah, I-I know."

The redhead furrows her eyebrows and cocks her head. In all the years she's known the girl before her, she's never seen her like this. Toes of her worn out sneakers scuffing the floor, sweaty palms twisting together restlessly, blue-green eyes cast down to the carpeted floor beneath them. Chloe has never seen Aubrey look so timid and vulnerable and it's really freaking her out. "Aubrey, honey, what's wrong?"

Exhaling shakily, the blonde mumbles something quickly under her breath.

"What was that?"

"God, Chloe, I _like_ you, okay?" Aubrey exclaims exasperatedly, throwing her hands in the air for emphasis.

Confusion is written all over the shorter girl's face when she stutters, "I-you-_what?_"

The blonde heaves a heavy sigh and finally makes eye contact with her best friend of ten years. "I like you." She shakes her head. "No, wait, that's wrong. I-I _love_ you. I've loved you for _so_ long, Chloe, and I just realized it like, two weeks ago, and it turned my _whole world_ upside-down because you're my _best friend_ and you have been for, like, half my life, and I don't know _when_ I started feeling like this about you. I don't know _when_ I started getting weak in the knees around you or being upset when I didn't get to see you for any length of time. I don't know _when_ I started getting jealous of everyone you ever talked to. I don't know _when_ I started feeling attracted to you. I don't know _when_ I started thinking you were the most beautiful person on Earth. I don't know _when_ the meaning behind 'I love you' changed for me. I don't know _when_ I started looking at you and seeing a future with you. I don't…I don't know _when_ I fell in love with you, Chloe, but I did. I fell _so_ damn hard. And I don't want to hide it anymore."

To say that Chloe is surprised would be the understatement of the century. "Aubrey, I-_Jesus._" The redhead bites her lip, unsure of how she should react to the confession.

To her credit, the blonde doesn't speak, doesn't push; she simply stands next to the other end of the couch and tries to be patient. She gives her friend time to think, and for that, Chloe is grateful.

After several moments of tense silence, the redhead rises from the couch to stand face to face with her best friend. She doesn't miss the fearful glint in the blonde's eyes. It makes her fully aware of the fact that the words she says could either make or break the woman in front of her. She takes a deep breath. "Aubrey, I…I would be lying if I said I didn't have feelings for you, too. But we've been best friends for ten years now. _Ten years_. Do you…Do you _realize_ what could happen if we…if anything happened between us and then something went wrong? Ten years of friendship just-just _lost_ because of your…_our_…feelings. You're the greatest friend I've ever had, Aubrey. And I can't risk losing you because of some silly crush. I'm sorry."

A look of pure shock crosses Aubrey's face, followed quickly by a rush of anger. "Chloe, this is _not_ just some silly crush. If it were some silly crush, I would've let it go. I _never_ would have said anything. I would've just kept my mouth shut until it passed. I'm in love with you, don't you see that? Don't you get it? I just feel so…I feel like it's okay to relax when I'm around you. I know I'm uptight and bossy and bitchy and everyone hates me for it. Everyone _except_ you. You accept me for who I am and you calm me like no one else can. You don't pressure me to be perfect like my dad does. You support me no matter what, you back me up, you comfort me, and you keep me grounded. You believe in me, and no one's ever believed in me. You make me smile so hard my cheeks hurt and laugh until I can barely breathe and my heart beats at a mile a minute when you so much as _look_ at me and this _can't_ be just a crush because I've had crushes before, Chloe, and they were nowhere _near_ as intense as what I feel for you." Her features soften and she steps towards the redhead, taking the other woman's hands in her own. "We can make this work, Chloe. We _can_. Because the great thing about us is that we can work through anything and everything together, no matter what. So even if this, _us_, doesn't work out, we'll _always_ be best friends. If anything, this is just a promotion." The blonde shrugs playfully with a wink.

"A promotion, eh?" the shorter girl asks, biting her lip in an attempt to hide her smile as she leans in closer to the blonde.

"Yeah, a promotion. You go from being my best friend to my girlfriend. And from what I hear, the benefits package is pretty great."

Chloe raises her eyebrows and giggles lightheartedly. "Oh yeah? And what does it include?"

"Well first of all, there's an immediate bonus."

"A bonus of wh-" the redhead's words are suppressed by a pair of soft lips touching her own. Although initially surprised, she melts easily into the kiss. Aubrey's hands snake around the redhead's waist and Chloe's hands tangle themselves in thick blonde hair.

They separate only because there is a stark lack of oxygen in their lungs and Aubrey rests her forehead against Chloe's, both women panting lightly with blissful smiles on their faces.

Minutes pass before the redhead finally speaks. "So, what else is included in this benefit package?"

Aubrey chuckles. "Well, a lot more of _that_, for sure. Also hand-holding, flowers, romantic dates at _least_ once a week, serenading, and maybe, if you're _lucky_," she whispers conspiratorially, "you _might _even get to have sex with me."

"Oh, _really_? I _might_? Just _maybe_?" Chloe rolls her eyes. "Girl, please. You _know_ you can't resist this."

The redhead's mock arrogance was something the blonde had never been able to resist. It was far too adorable to be legal, in her opinion. As were a lot of things about Chloe Beale, if Aubrey's being honest. "You're really cute, you know that?"

The shorter girl shrugs nonchalantly. "Yeah. I know. I try."

"You don't even have to try, Chlo. You just are. One of the many things I love about you."

"I love everything about you. Everything. Even the things you hate. I love everything about you, Aubrey Marie Posen."

There are tears in Aubrey's eyes when she says, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Please give me a lesson on how to steal a heart as fast as you stole mine. Because honestly, I could stand here and be goofy and cliché with you all day, every day for the rest of my life. And you know how I hate being goofy and cliché."


End file.
